#Instagram has grown immensely over the years, from once being a photographer’s favorite app for sharing travel pictures to now appealing to all kinds of influencers, advertisers, and brands.

At this point, it’s safe to say that your audience is using Instagram, and your competitors too. Knowing who uses Instagram and how they interact on the platform can help you business to plan a better Instagram marketing strategy.

So, if you are still unsure of whether your business can benefit from this app, check out these Instagram statistics will convince you why you should be using it.

1. Instagram has 1 billion of monthly users

This makes Instagram the third most popular social media network, following only Facebook (over 2 billion monthly active users) and YouTube (1.9 billion monthly active users). Is your business selling directly to customers? If you are not marketing on Instagram YET, you should reconsider your strategy. 

2. Instagram has a young audience 

Despite its diverse user base, Instagram is undeniably most popular among young people. 

According to Sproutsocial market survey, 72% of teens and 35% of adults are using the platform. Is your brand targeting Gen Z and Millennials? then, Instagram just might be the perfect spot for you. 

3. Leading platform for engagement

Based on a market study by Sproutsocial (2018), Instagram is ahead of Facebook with an average engagement per post of 1.6%. If you have you been neglecting your business’s Instagram account, it’s probably time to start building your community and improving your engagement through the social media platform.

4. Businesses are using Instagram

An estimated 71% of US businesses claim that they use Instagram for business (Mention, 2019). Market data also indicates that 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded. Not only is there a huge market active on Instagram daily, but there’s an interested audience that you can reach without spending large sums of money.

5. Instagrammers follow businesses

With almost half of Instagram users following at least one business account (Mention, 2018), brands have a great opportunity to increase their reach through Instagram. Whether you’re a local based store or ship globally, you have the potential to improve your market reach by using Instagram. If you’ve got an Instagram Business profile you also have access to Instagram analytics which can provide you data about impressions and reach per post, as well as more information about your demographic. This can help you understand what type of content your audience likes the most. So, whether it’s F&B, apparel, or any niche that you’re interested in, you can be hopeful that there are users who are willing to follow your brand on Instagram.

6. The best times to post on Instagram 

According to Instagram analytics, the best days to post are weekdays from 10am – 3pm. These windows of high engagement can likely help to generate even more likes and engagement, especially for brands just starting out.

• Best day to post: Thursday

• Best hours to post: 8am – 11am

7. Videos get more interactions than images

Videos receive 38% more engagement than image posts and 2 x the amount of comments. Since 81% of marketers agree that engagement is the most important metric of social media success, it’s no surprise than many of us want to figure out how to improve these numbers. So, using video within your Instagram feed could certainly be worth testing to see how your audience reacts.

8. Instagram has a strong influence on shoppers

According to Oberlo (2019), Instagram helps 80% of Instagrammers decide whether to buy a product or service. Instagram users report making a purchase decision based on something that they saw while browsing the app. So, if your brand is not including Instagram to your social media marketing tool kit, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. 

There’s a bunch of different tactics that you can use to impact the buyer decision on Instagram. So whether it’s Instagram ads, engaging users with creative stories, or including the relevant Instagram hashtags to be more discoverable, it all can matter if you do it right.

Summary of Instagram Stats 2019

• 1 billion monthly active Instagram users.
• Instagram is the most engaged network.
• 71% of the billion monthly active users on the Instagram app are under the age of 35.
• Instagram users spend an average of 53 minutes per day.
• 500 million Instagram accounts use Instagram stories every day.
• 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services on Instagram.
• Instagram can generate over 4x more interactions on Instagram compared to Facebook.
• 71% of US businesses use Instagram.
• Instagram helps 80% of Instagram users decide to buy a product or service.
• 50% of Instagrammers follow at least one business.

Is your business using Instagram efficiently?

Is there anything else you’d like to know about Instagram statistics and wish was included in this article?

Let me know in the comments below!

Source: @Sproutsocial Market Survey (Sep. 2018), Mention.com (2019), Oberlo.com (2019)